Leon stepped quietly into his room, the soft glow of the evening casting long shadows on the walls, and almost instantly, Layla slipped in behind him without a word.
Leon closed the door to his room quietly behind him, the soft click echoing in the quiet house. Layla followed close, her footsteps hesitant but determined. Taking a moment to calm his racing thoughts, Leon sat down on the edge of his bed and took a deep breath, closing his eyes to focus his mind.
He carefully laid out the evolution materials on the floor before him—bronze earth stones, elemental grasses, and the specially prepared beast cores. Each item shimmered faintly under the dim light, filled with latent energy waiting to be awakened. Leon's fingers trembled slightly as he reached for Ember, who sat obediently at his side, eyes bright and alert.
"Alright, Ember," Leon murmured softly, "this is going to be tough, but I know you're ready." He adjusted his mentality, steadying his willpower as he recalled every detail from the beast codex. The path wasn't the usual one, but it promised greater strength if they succeeded.
One by one, he handed the materials to Ember, who sniffed and then eagerly consumed each item. Leon's voice was calm but steady as he guided Ember through the process, whispering encouragement and focus. The room filled with a faint glow as the materials' energy began to merge with Ember's own fiery essence.
Layla watched quietly from the doorway, her eyes wide with a mix of hope and anxiety, silently cheering on her brother and his fox.
Leon watched intently as Ember's flames surged, his fiery fur glowing brighter with raw power. Slowly, a thick, swirling cocoon of energy began to form around Ember — dense and solid, glowing with a mix of bright red fire and deep brown earth energies.
The cocoon wasn't transparent; it shimmered like molten rock, flickering with intense red flames wrapping around rich, earthen hues. Sparks of fire and bursts of dust-like particles pulsed within the cocoon's shell, but Ember himself was completely hidden from view.
A low rumble filled the room as the fiery earth magic fused together, sealing Ember inside the glowing, solid cocoon that radiated both heat and a steady, grounding energy.
Outside, Layla watched nervously, barely daring to breathe as the seconds stretched on. The cocoon pulsed rhythmically, alive with elemental power, protecting Ember as he underwent the demanding transformation.
Then, after what felt like an eternity, cracks appeared along the surface — glowing red and brown lines splitting the shell. With a sudden crackle, the cocoon shattered into glowing shards of fire and earth dust that quickly faded away.
As the glowing shards of the cocoon faded, Ember stepped forward, her fiery form now transformed. She was noticeably larger—her body more lithe and powerful, radiating a newfound strength. The flames dancing along her fur burned brighter and fiercer, casting a warm, reddish glow around her.
Most striking were the two tails that now swayed gracefully behind her. Where there had once been one fiery tail, now there were two—each blazing with intense red flames streaked with deep brown earth tones, flickering like molten lava. The tails moved fluidly, like extensions of her very spirit, full of strength and elegance.
Her eyes glowed with a sharper, more focused light, reflecting the deeper bond she now held with the fire and earth elements. The tips of her ears and the markings along her flanks darkened, etched with molten rock-like patterns that grounded her fiery nature with the steady strength of the earth.
Ember's claws grew longer and tougher, gleaming with a faint red-brown shimmer. Her stance was steady and confident, every movement filled with grace and quiet power. This was no longer just a fire fox—it was a fierce, balanced beast, perfectly blending blazing fury with solid earth resilience.
Leon took a deep breath and opened the Beast Codex.
Beast Name: Ember
Gender: Female
Species: Two-Tailed Fox
Rank: Bronze (Early Stage)
Element(s): Fire , Earth
Bloodline: Mutated Nine-Tailed Fox (Dormant)
Size: 1.4 meters long
Skills:
• Claw Strike – Now enhanced with earth essence, granting impact force.
• Bite – Slight increase in raw power and fire infusion.
• Fireball – Refined; produces denser, hotter fireballs with minor explosive impact.
• Earthen Guard (New) – A defensive skill that forms a temporary rock barrier or coating using earth element.
Passive Traits:
• Dual Affinity Stability – Natural resistance to elemental imbalance.
• Tectonic Flames – Fire abilities can now carry a grounding effect, lowering mobility of hit enemies.
Next Evolution Route:
Two-Tailed Fox>>>Three-Tailed Fox
Requirements: 1.Reach Advanced Bronze level
2.Kill 100 Bronze level fierce beasts
3.Materials: Silver beast core x1, Elemental Stone(Specific)x 2, Elemental Grass(Specific)x2
Leon's eyes lit up with satisfaction. "So she really did awaken a new skill… Earthen Guard. That's perfect. We needed some defense."
He glanced at Ember, who stood tall and proud beside the now-cracked cocoon, her two tails flickering like dancing flames above shifting stone. She met his gaze and let out a low, confident growl—as if saying, I'm ready.
As Ember settled beside Leon, her second tail flicking with lazy pride, Layla crouched beside Cinder, her eyes sparkling with nervous excitement.
"Tiki, are you ready?" she asked softly.
The small bird puffed up her feathers and chirped confidently. Leon stepped closer, handing Layla the evolution materials.
"She's absorbed enough combat experience," he said. "Now let her evolve."
Layla nodded and began feeding the materials to her companion one by one. As Cinder absorbed them, her small frame trembled, not with pain—but with barely contained power.
Suddenly, crimson and cyan light burst from Cinder's body.
Flames flared upward in waves, twisting and writhing like serpents, while a sharp breeze swirled around her, lifting tiny dust particles into the air. The wind wasn't ordinary—it shimmered with a faint bluish glow, cool and sharp like the breath of a storm. Fire and wind—two forces that should clash—danced in perfect harmony around the little bird.
Then came the transformation.
The flames and wind collided, spinning faster and faster around Cinder until they formed a cyclone of red and cyan light. In the heart of the vortex, her body was obscured—consumed by the energy of evolution.
With a sudden burst of pressure, a cocoon formed around her. Unlike Ember's solid, rocky shell, Cinder's cocoon was sleek and fluid—like a sphere of molten glass laced with glowing streaks. Fiery red lines coiled around its surface, while flashes of cyan light streaked across like lightning bolts trapped inside a storm.
The room hummed with elemental energy. Sparks danced in the air. Layla took a step back, shielding her eyes.
"This is a pure elemental evolution," Leon murmured, observing the process. "A high-grade combination. She's evolving into a true wind-fire hybrid."
The cocoon pulsed rhythmically, expanding and contracting like a beating heart. Occasionally, bursts of heat or sudden gusts of wind would leak out, blowing Layla's hair or warming the floor beneath.
Minutes passed.
Then—with a sound like shattering glass—the cocoon cracked and burst apart in a radiant explosion of fire and wind.
Out stepped Cinder.
She had grown noticeably. Her body had stretched slightly longer, sleeker, and more aerodynamic. Her crimson feathers now gleamed brighter, laced with patterns of glowing cyan that shimmered with every breath. Her wings were broader, tipped with translucent, wind-charged feathers that left faint air trails as they moved.
A soft, flickering flame burned at the tips of her wing joints—small, controlled, and alive. Her tail had grown longer and sharper, ending in a flurry of red and blue feathers that swayed like fire caught in a breeze.
Her eyes opened—now a bright amber, flecked with wind-like cyan streaks. With a clear, sharp cry, she stretched her wings, sending a small gust of wind through the room.
Layla covered her mouth in awe. "Tiki… you're beautiful."
Leon flipped open the Codex and checked her updated details.
Beast Name: Cinder
Species: Flarewing Sparrow
Rank: Bronze (Early Stage)
Elements: Fire, Wind
Skills:
Peck
Now empowered by wind essence. Each strike carries compressed wind force, increasing penetration power and making the attack faster and sharper.
Claw Strike
Cinder's talons now generate intense heat during dives. When striking, they scorch the target with fiery slashes that cause lingering burn damage.
Fiery Gust
Upgraded to create a swirling burst of hot wind. This skill deals hybrid Fire-Wind damage and can destabilize the enemy's stance, reducing accuracy for a few seconds.
Blazing Cyclone (Evolved from Fiery Gust)
A new evolution of her elemental affinity. Cinder summons a small cyclone infused with fire. The rotating vortex pulls in light enemies and scorches them over time. Excellent for crowd control or disrupting enemy formations.
Passive Traits:
• Wind Dance – Slight increase in flight speed and agility.
• Flame Soar – Basic attacks in the air gain fire enhancement when moving fast.
Next Evolution Route:
Flarewing Sparrow>>>Crimson Gale Roc
Requirements: 1. Reach Advanced Gold Rank
2. Kill a Platinum ranked beast
3. Materials:
Blazing Feather Core (x1)
Wind Jade Crystal (x3)
Molten Talon Fragments (x5)
Skyfire Ember (x2)
Galevine Silk (x10 strands)
Leon scrolled through the Beast Codex, watching as the details for Cinder's next evolution slowly unraveled on the aged parchment-like interface. The fiery-red icon pulsed softly before shifting into a new silhouette—a sleek, majestic bird with elongated wings, sharp talons, and twin plumes trailing flames and wind.
Next Evolution: Crimson Gale Roc.
The name echoed power, elegance, and destruction wrapped into one. The Roc's form was larger, fiercer, and more streamlined than before. With feathers tipped in fire and a body shaped by the wind, it looked like a predator born to rule the skies.
Leon's gaze dropped to the requirements section—and his chest tightened.
The names of the needed materials blurred into a storm of impossibility. Each one sounded like it came from myths or places no common tamer could easily reach. He had never seen them in the academy archives, market stalls, or even whispered among traveling beastmasters.
His expression darkened.
How am I supposed to find these?
He leaned back, fingers drumming lightly against the Codex.
So this is the price of standing at the top…
With a long, quiet sigh, Leon closed the Codex, the image of the Crimson Gale Roc still etched in his mind.
We'll get there. Somehow.